Fuel system for internal combustion engines



May 30, 1933- H. HUEBER ET AL 1,912,203

FUEL SYSTEM FOR INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINES Filed June 25, 1930 2Sheets-Sheet 1 llllll 6 14 .v a Z as j "29 i 9 y xs 2o 1 m 3/ 12 A D X6:

- gwwmtom HQIUIQ )(ueber.

18 20 Erwin C.Hort0n,

aw WABW} May 30, 1933. H. HUEBER ET AL FUEL SYSTEM FOR INTERNALCOMBUSTION ENGINES Filed June 23, 1930 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 gin-1w 11% 014,Henry )(ueber, Erwm C. Horton, AQQW. M.

Patented May 30, 1933 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE HENRY RUBBER, OIBUFFALO, AND EBWIN 6. HORTON, OF HAMBURG, NEW YORK,

ASBIGNOBB 1'0 T3100 PRODUCTS CORPORATION, 01 BUFFALO, NEW

FUEL SYS'IEI FOB INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINES Application menu: as, mo.Serial ll'o. mass.

This invention relates to a fuel feeding system for internal combustionengine power plants such as those with which the modern motor vehicle isequipped.

The fuel sup ly tank is usually disposed at the rear of the automobileand at a level below that of the carburetor, so that some intermediarymust be provided to effect a transfer of the fuel from the tank to thecarburetor. In the past this transfer has been effected through severaldifferent mediums, one of which involves the application of ressure tothe fuel in the supply tank whereby the fuel is forced under pressure upto the carburetor. This pressure has heretofore been provided by meansof a hand pump within convenient reach of the driver for operation asand when required.

The present invention aims to provide a fuel feeding system wherein thepressure in the sup ly tank is automatically maintained at an eflibientdegree whereby a uniform feeding of the fuel to the carburetor is alwaysmaintained. It further provides a system by which the initial flow ortransfer of fuel is promptl assured. The invention is also found in t eprovision of means for using suction or negative pressure as .amotivating force to pump or create a pressure in the fuel supply tank ontop of the fuel therein; and it resides more specificall in thearrangements and combinations 0 parts hereinafter described and claimedreference being made to the accompanying drawings wherein Fig. 1 is aview of a motor vehicle equipped with the present invention.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged sectional view through the pressure pump of thefuel stem.

Fig. 3 is a detall showing 0 a part of the Fig. 4 1s a sectional showmgof the carburetor as modified in accordance with-the present invention.

Fig. 5 is a sectional view through the pum as modified electrically,portions being le t in elevation.

Referring more in detail to the accompanying drawings the numeral -1designates the gasoline or li uid fuel supply tank arranged at the rearof e motor vehicle and connected This pump is preferably of the diahragip A type and the interior of its housing as the piston or diaphragmelement 7 partitionin the same into a power chamber 8 and a wor chamber9, the term diaphragm being used herein to include a iston. The powerchamber is provided wit an inlet port 10 and an outlet port 11 thelatter being connected by the conduit 5 to' the intake manifold and theformer o ening to the atmosphere. Port 10 is contro led by a valve 12while ort 11 is controlled by valve 13 the two va ves being connected toa valve mechanism which acts to seat one valve and unseat the companionvalve at substantially the same time, and vice versa.

This mechanism may be of an approved or desired type and style althougthat herein depicted embodies a lever 14: to which the two valves 12 and13 are connected and a spring snap action consisting of a coiled spring15 suspended between two points of support 16 and having itsintermediate portion connected by a stirrup or saddle 17 to the lever14, the points of support 16 being connected to and carried by thepiston or diaphragm. Consequently, as the diaphragm moves from one limitof travel to its opposite limit the spring 15 will be tensioned from anintermediate neutral position and when suflicient energy is stored up inthe spring to counteract the forces tending to hold the seated valveoperative, the latter will be removed from its-seat and the-unseatedvalve will be snapped quickly to its seat thereby reversing the fluidconnections to the power chamber 8. The points of support 16 areconnected to the diaphragm by a bracket 18 which also is formed with apair of lugs 19 to restrict the upward distention of the spring 15, thedownward distention being limited by contact with the central structure20 of the diaphragm.

Therefore, with the valves 12 and 13 arranged as illustrated in Fi 2 themanifold suction will reduce the fiui pressure wlthin the power chamber8 and lift the diaphragm to its uppermost position, aided b the fluidpressure on the opposite side of the diaphragm, as will hereinafter bemore fully alluded to.

- When the diaphragm reaches or approaches its upper limit of travel thespring 15 will have its intermediate portion distended downwardlysubstantially as indicated by the dotted showing in Fig. 3, and when theforces tending to unseat the valve 12 against the atmospheric pressurethereon are of suflicient strength the valve 12 will be unseated and thestored up energy in the spring 15 will be expended in quickly shiftingthe valve 13 to its seat thereby interrupting the communication with theintake manifold and opening the chamber 8 to the atmosphere with theresultant rise in pressure within said power chamber 8. The diaphragm istherefore free to move downwardly or toward its opposite limit of traveland such reverse movement of the diaphragm is imparted by means of aspring 21. This spring may be located in either chamber but in thepresent showing it is disposed within the work chamber, being connectedat one end to the central structure 20 of the diaphragm and having itsopposite end anchored in a well 22 closed or sealed at its bottom as bymeans of a cap 23. The tension of the spring is obviously such as topermit upward movement of the diaphragm when the pressure in the chamber8 is reduced by the manifold influences and yet is of sufficientstrength to create a reverse urge on the diaphragm suflicient to returnthe diaphragm when not unduly resisted.

The work chamber of the pump is also provided with an inlet port 24 andan outlet port 25 the latter being connected to the fuel supply tank 1while the former is connected to the atmosphere. The valve 26 controlsthe intake port 24 while valve 27 controls the outlet port, the actionof the valves being to intake atmosphere upon the suction operatedstroke of the diaphragm and to expel the intaken atmosphere to the tank1 upon the spring actuated stroke of the diaphragm.

The suction operated pump may be arranged at any desired locationalthough it is preferable to mount the same directly upon the supplytank. To this end the tank 1 may be provided with a hole bordered by aring 28 on which the pump casing may be seated with an air-tight seal,and the inlet port 24 'made to communicate with the atmosphere through aconduit 29 while the outlet port 25 may open directly into the interiorof said tank 1. Therefore, when the valve 13 is unseated and the workchamber 8 is open to the manifold 4 the upward movement of the diaphragmwill cause the within the tank work chamber to inhale the atmospherethrough the inlet port 24 until the valves 12 and 13 reverse theirrelationship whereupon the spring 21 will come into play and cause theintaken atmosphere to be exhaled into the tank 1. This dlaphragmmovement will continue until the pressure Within the tank 1, above theliquid fuel therein, increases sufficiently to force the liquid fuelthrough the pipe 2 into the float chamber 30 of the carburetor 3.

The building up of an excessive pressure 1 is prevented or controlled bythe spring 21 which must be of such tension as to permit the suction orfluid pressure movement of the diaphragm, as created by the pressuredifferential between the inhaled atmosphere on the underside of thediaphragm and the reduced pressure at the opposite side thereof.Consequently, when the built up pressure in the tank 1 reaches orapproaches a predetermined degree it will balance or counteract theaction of the spring 21 so that while the spring is in a position tourge the diaphragm downwardly on its expelling stroke such diaphragmmovement is resisted by the accumulated pressure in the tank 1 and thediaphragm will therefore remain inactive until the tank pressure dropswhereupon the spring 21 will resume its functioning. The spring 21 istherefore responsive in its action to the pressure in the tank 1. Bythis arrangement a constant and substantially uniform pressure isassured within the supply tank so that uniform feed of fuel from thetank to the carburetor will be maintained.

Should the supply of liquid fuel become exhausted both in the supplytank and in the carburetor, and a fresh supply of fuel be poured intothe tank 1 there is provided means to accelerate the replenishment ofthe carburetor supply without over-taxing the battery of the power plantsince obviously, under such conditions the engine would otherwise haveto be turned over quite a number of times in order to build upsufficient pressure in the tank 1 to move the fresh supply of gasolineto the depleted carburetor. Therefore, to accelerate this transfer offuel to the float chamber there are provided means for lifting the fuelfrom the tank 1 to the carburetor by direct suction. To this end, whenthe choke control 81 is operated to close the choke valve 32 in the airinlet 33 of the carburetor, whereby to increase the suction on theatomizing nozzle 34 of the carburetor, this being broadly the usualengine priming method, there is also provided means for closing theusual bleed or atmospheric vent 35 from the float chamber so that whenthe suction is increased about the nozzle 34 during a choking or primingoperation, the negative pressure will also act through the float chamberand the conduit 2 to draw fuel from the tank 1 into the carburetor,aided by the atmospheric pressure in the upper portion of the tank 1plus any additional accumulated pressure built up by the pump action inthe meantime. A simple valve 36 may be provided to close the vent 35,this valve being seated upon operation of the choke and being unseatedwhen the choke valve 32 is restored to its normal opened position. Bythis arrangement the float chamber will have its supply quicklyreplenished and as the float 37 rises on the incoming fuel it willobviously actuate its valve 38 to control the further inflow of fuel.The valve 36 is connected by suitable leverage or other connection tothe choke mechanism so as to be actuated in common therewith.

In Fig. 5 is depicted an electrical form of pump which for thepurposesof illustration is shown as embodying a solenoid 40 having itscore 41 connected to the diaphragm 7 the action of the solenoid beingsimilar to the action of the manifold suction in the preferred form tothe extent that it lifts the diaphragm on its inhaling stroke andpermits the spring 21 to move the diaphragm on its exhaling or expellingstroke. Obviously then, the solenoid circuit is closed at the lowerlimit of travel of the diaphragm and opened at its upper limit ofmovement by a limit switch (not shown). The circuit wlres for thesolenoid may be connected to the bindhaving its outlet discharging intothe supl tank for supplying positive air pressure tb the supply tank tothereby place the fuel under pressure and force the fuel therefrom tothe float .chamber of the carburetor, means for operating the pump, andmeans for placing the float chamber substantially uninterruptedly underthe suction influence of the manifold to lower the pressure on thedelivery side of the supply tank and thereby assistthe positive pressurefrom the pump in raising fuel from the supply tank to the carburetorthrough an increase in the pressure differential on the fuel in thetank.

3. In combination with the float chamber of a carburetor, a fuel supplytank therefor 10- cated at a lower level, an air pump having its outletdischarging into the supply tank for supplying positive air pressure tothe supply tank to thereby place the fuel under pressure for urging thefuel therefrom to the float chamber of the carburetor, and means forsubjecting the float chamber to a subatmospheric pressure forcooperation with the positive air pressure on top of the fuel in thetank to increase the pressure difierential on such fuel and therebyeffect movement of the fuel to the float chamber of the carburetor.

HENRY HUEBER.

ERWIN G. HORTON.

ing posts 42 and 43 and suitably arranged in a this circuit is provideda pressure operated switch generally indicated at 44, being of anydesired type of construction and having its pressure chamber connectedby a passage 45 to the tank 1 so that when the pressure is built upwithin the tank to a predetermined degree the pressure switch 41 willfunction to interrupt the solenoid circuit and when the pressure withinthe tank drops the pressure switch will restore the circuit connectionfor resuming the action of the solenoid.

What is claimed is:

1. In combination with the float chamber of a carburetor, a supply tanktherefor located at a lower level, and the intake manifold of aninternal combustion engine; a suction operated air pump having itsoutlet discharging into the supply tank for supplying positive airpressure to the supply tank to thereby place the fuel under ressure andforce the fuel therefrom to the oat chamber of the carburetor, meansestablishing fluid com- 5 munication between the manifold and the pumpfor supplying the latter with operating suction, and means for placingthe float chamber uninterruptedly under the suction influonce of themanifold to assist the positive pressure from the pump in raisingfuel'from the suIpply tank to the carburetor.

2. n combination with the float chamber of a carburetor, a sup ly tanktherefor located at a lower level, and t e intake manifold of aninternal combustion engine; an air pump

